The sodium and potassium content of Philippine foods: I. Foods of plant origin.

Researchers

Name

Role

1Solita F. Camara-Besa

Author

2Minerva Bataclan

Author

Publication Information

1.

Publication Type:

Journal

Publication Sub Type:

Journal Article, Original

Title:

Acta Medica Philippina

Frequency:

Quarterly

Publication Date:

July-September 1952

Volume:

9

Issue:

1

Page(s):

1-30

Publisher:

College of Medicine and theInstitute of Public Health, University of the Philippines - Manila

Abstract

The sodium and potassium content of 282 samples representing 218 different foods items and six samples of water are presented in two tables. Our results on 38 food items are compared with two studies by American workers in a third table. In agreement with findings in the United States our results show that our foods of plant origin generally have low sodium content. Most of them have less than 10 mg of this mineral per 100 gm edible portion. This is especially true with fruits, shoots, vegetable flowers, vegetable fruits and legums and unprocessed cereals. Wider variations (from 1 to more than 1000 mg per 100 gm edible portion in a few items) were observed among the leafy vegetables, vegetable roots, bulbs and tubers, the pulses, nuts and seeds and the starches, sugars and syrups. On the other hand, the potassium content generally was more than a hundred mg, sometimes above one thousand mg per 100 gm edible portion. Comparison with two studies of American authors using the same experimental methods also brings out the fact that despite the relatively big differences in individual values for several items, the foods studied which are of plant origin have low sodium and high potassium content. Our public water supply to the city of Manila and its suburbs has low sodium and potassium content. In contrast to this, one sample obtained from a deep well 300 feet from the shore line of Manila Bay gave high sodium and potassium values.